MONEY: Tracing lost accounts

If you’ve changed your name or address several times, it’s easy to lose touch with your bank, insurer or pension company.

Millions of pounds lie unclaimed in ‘forgotten’ accounts. So when you’re sorting your finances, you should check to see if you have any lost assets. You might have accounts and policies you don’t know about, ones you haven’t used for years – even since you were a child.

Where to start

It’s a good idea to start by talking to someone you trust. They might be able to help you remember important details, such as:

the name you used when you had past accounts or policies (if a parent or guardian opened it for you, you might need theirs too)

the address of the place where you lived at the time

the years when you opened or paid into the account or policy

where you stored reference numbers, account numbers or sort codes.

The more you can remember or find the better, but it’s not essential to have all this information.

Age UK have a great article exploring the next stages of the process on their website: